Retirement fund body EPFO on Wednesday allowed employers to register their digital signatures online through email in view of the lockdown to combat COVID-19, according to a labour ministry statement.
Currently, authorised persons of employers have to go to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) offices to get their digital signatures registered.
In the current scenario of the lockdown and other disruptions, employers are not able to function normally and are facing problems in using their digital signatures or Aadhaar-based e-sign on EPFO portal, the statement said.
Many important tasks like KYC (Know Your Customers) attestation, transfer claim attestation, etc., are being done online by authorised persons of employers using their digital signatures (DSC) or Aadhaar based e-sign on EPFO portal.
For using DSC/e-sign, one time approval from EPFO's regional office is required. But, due to the lockdown, many employers are facing difficulties to send the one-time registration request to the regional offices, it said.
In view of this situation and to further ease the compliance procedure, EPFO has decided to accept such requests through email also, the ministry said.
An employer can send the scanned copy of the duly signed request letter to the concerned regional office through email, it added. Official email addresses of the regional offices are available at www.epfindia.gov.in.
It said such establishments, whose authorised officers have approved digital signatures but are not able to locate the dongle, can log in to the employer portal and register their e-sign through the link for registration of already registered authorised signatories.
If their name against the approved digital signature is same as that in their Aadhaar, the registration of e-sign will not require any further approval, it added.
Other authorised signatories can register their e-signs and send the request letters approved by the employers and seek approval of the concerned EPFO offices, it said.
This facility provides further relief to the employers and EPF members adversely impacted by the pandemic, it added.
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